Rush to Unity

Nehemiah 4:19-20 (NLT) Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, “The work is very spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!”

Nehemiah was one of the leaders of the Jewish people who had been exiled to Babylon along with everyone else. The Persian Empire eventually conquered the Babylonians and so the Jews came under their rule. The king that Nehemiah served as cupbearer was favorable to the Jewish people and when he found out that Nehemiah was saddened by the ruined condition of Jerusalem, including the wall around the city, he allowed him to go to lead the exiles that had returned to Judah in rebuilding the wall. When the people of the area who were not Jews heard what they were going to do, they came up against them immediately. At first, they tried intimidation but when that didn't work, they conspired to attack them from all directions and kill them so that the work would stop. When Nehemiah heard about the plot, he armed all the people that were working on the wall, and he divided the workers so that half of them would be working while the other half would be on guard against any attacks.

Since the wall was so massive and long because it would encircle the entire city of Jerusalem, the people were quite spread out from each other. The strategy for rebuilding was that each group would work on a different section of the wall. This meant that the entire wall was being built all around the city at the same time. Because of this, Nehemiah instructed the people to listen for a trumpet blast if any of them encountered attacks from the enemy along any part of the wall. When they would hear the trumpet blast, everyone was to rush towards the sound of the trumpet and take up their positions to fight. But they were all to rush there to be delivered not by their own hands, but by God's hand. But even though Nehemiah knew by faith that the Lord would fight their battles, he still had planned to have them all show up together at any spot along the wall where their enemies might show up. It was then, as Nehemiah declared, that God would fight for them.

Unity is so important to God. What separates God's people from everyone else is that we actually love and care for everyone that is part of the family of God. Jesus said that this was how people would know that we are His disciples (John 13:35). When we love each other, care for each other's needs and guard the unity that we have in Christ, God shows up to not only bless us but also to fight any battles that we may be facing. As Nehemiah and the people would show up along the wall to face the enemy, the Lord would fight their battles and assure them of the victory. Let's learn the lesson that Nehemiah is teaching us here and be prepared at the sound of the trumpet blast to show up wherever there is a need in the Body of Christ so that we can be sure that the Lord will be with us in everything, including when we face trials and tribulations of many kinds. As long as we are united, God will be with us. As long as He is with us, He will fight for us. Let's rush to unity and see God work among us!

Pastor Joey Vazquez